Brown tries to ride out his storm of controversy

For that fee, he's been hanging out at the three-day National Conference of the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. His speech, described as “one of the highlights” of the event, was yesterday.

It came a little over four years after Hurricane Katrina hit, which put Brown on the map (in a bad way) and nearly took New Orleans off it (in a very, very bad way).

Who can forget then-President George W. Bush saying to him, “Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job.”

That phrase has kind of stuck with him because it didn't appear that he was doing a heck of a job. He resigned two weeks later.

Yesterday, Brown wasn't resigning. He took shots at the former administration that employed him, at New Orleans' leaders and their evacuation efforts, and at the state of FEMA at the time of the disaster.

It had been weakened because the emphasis was on terrorism, Brown said. “I felt like I walked into a buzz saw,” he said, the saw being Katrina.

Event organizers weren't sure what they were walking into by hiring Brown to speak.

“I know that there are people who are mad that I'm here,” Brown said early in the speech to the audience of several hundred hazardous-materials professionals, many of whom play big roles in disaster relief efforts.

It was Brown's people who approached the association, seeking a shot at speaking. They thought the tie-in was perfect. The group's leaders did mull it over, though, concerned about a backlash.

But, in the end, they figured Brown could offer unique insight. “To hear from someone who took part in something where a lot of stuff went wrong is valuable,” said Harry Kemp, the association's president. “They're lessons learned.”

But some question whether Brown should have ever held the position of FEMA director in the first place, and whether his insight is even worthwhile.

Before going to work in Washington, Brown held a leadership position with the International Arabian Horse Association. So he knew horses, not hurricanes.

“Whether he was qualified or not — that's politics,” Kemp said. “He did go through the experience.”

Did he ever.

I have to give Brown some credit for trying to bounce back. I'm not sure how many people could. It's hard to think of a bigger public showing of apparent government inefficiency and ineptitude than the government's response to Katrina.

And Brown, whether it was deserved or not, became the face of it. To some, he still is.

He's now working on another recovery — his own. In an interview after the speech, Brown told me he has a number of speeches lined up. He also does consulting work and is writing on a book about Katrina and his version of what happened, called, “Deadly Indifference.”

He asked me if I liked the title. I did. Sounds punchy. The man obviously has a plan.

But back then, when Katrina hit? Well . . .

Brown, who now lives near Boulder, Colo., didn't shrink from that question. Indeed, he lobbied for some hardball. He told the audience, before a question-and-answer period, to have at it.

“I want no bashfulness,” he said.

But he got a pretty warm and gracious reception. One man thanked him for his service.

Belser wanted to let Brown know that people in her state are still without homes, still struggling with insurance companies and government red tape.

Brown said he understood, that human suffering gets lost in all the blame and bureaucratic nonsense that goes on.

Belser told me afterward that it was hard for her to come and listen to Brown. There's a lot of blame to go around, she said. She doubts the full truth of the government's actions will be uncovered in her lifetime.

But Brown was the one who was there and in charge. He's the one she recognizes.

“He was the face of the federal government,” Belser said. “He was the face of the federal government who failed us.”

Brown knows that's the case, but he's not going away. “I'm not bashful; I'm not ashamed. I have regrets. But you pick up and move on.”